Salty Tofu/Story
Fondness Story I. Difference I have a brother. But we weren't summoned together. We are twins, we are identical, yet everyone seems to have eyes only for my older brother. He just pretends to have a good temperament and that soft smile on his face is nothing more than an act. Why won't anyone realize that? Idiots. That grin he always shows the customers is so fake that it pisses me off. Can't he even stop pretending to be someone he isn't for a second? When the old man was attacked by a fallen angel as he was out in the outskirts, I was clearly the one who defeated it and saved his life. Yet the only thing his eyes looked at with approval were the homemade medicines he had seen Sweet Tofu use. The old man adored this guy who could only pretend to be a "good boy". From that moment on, the more days passed, the more I felt excluded. Seeing those two together, discussing what dish to add to the restaurant's menu, I knew I'd had more than enough. No, I'm not the third wheel. Absolutely not. Whatever he can do, I ''can do it too. Troublesome customers were invited to a room I was never able to get into, while Sweet Tofu was entertaining a silly woman, who always giggled and blushed every time she saw him at the restaurant's entrance. I saw that as my opportunity to bring in the dishes that the old man had prepared and left in the kitchen. But before I could even touch them with a finger, the old man appeared, more angry than ever, screaming at me. "Who gave you permission to move them? Out! Get out of here, I said!" I had never seen the expression of the old man twist in such a way with anger. I looked down at the dishes. They hadn't been spilled on the floor, or even messed with. I had done nothing wrong. The old man furiously pulled me by the hand and then pushed me out of the kitchen, while Sweet Tofu hurriedly took the dishes and headed for ''that room. Before he went in, he turned around to give me his signature smile. He must've been making fun of me. II. Burial I used to be so naive. If I could have proven to be better than Sweet Tofu, then I could have taken his place in the heart of the old man. But I never thought too hard about it. After all, I never imagined that that day would never come. In those last days, the old man was constantly in a bad mood. Normally, he would recover within a couple of days. I never understood why he had changed. One day I happened to eavesdrop on a conversation between Sweet Tofu and that silly woman, from whom I learned that a new seasoning had been discovered in a town not too far from here. I thought it was my golden opportunity, and so, without saying anything to anyone, I left alone for that town. I was so excited that I didn't even notice the strangers who had recently arrived in the village. And neither I noticed the demon posing as my brother, watching me silently with a threatening aura, hiding in the shadows. The landscape of the towns at the border of the kingdom is very different from that of the capital, but its original characteristics are noteworthy. Although my boots were completely muddy because of the various holes and puddles on the road, the fresh, clean air blowing in the suburbs was second to none, especially if compared to the one in the capital. I walked for a long time, from the sunny morning, to the warm afternoon, until the sunset, which dyed the sky red. I never found that town. On the contrary, the more I kept on walking, the more desolate my surroundings became. Only when the brightest star began to shine in the sky, I realized that I had been tricked. Having reached that conclusion, I hurried home. I don't remember which day I started to think like that, but that small, somewhat humble restaurant had unconsciously become my home. What I saw beyond the wooden door after hesitantly opening it… is something I would have preferred to never witness at all. There were a lot of people in the restaurant, strange people, dressed in armor and wielding sharp swords. On the other hand, the old man was lying silently on the ground. Why wasn't he welcoming his guests? Why wasn't he getting up? The dining room, which had always smelled of food, was now pervaded by a strong rusty smell. The old man's eyes were wide open, and his pupils were small, just like when he got angry. His mouth was open, like he was about to say something, but no sound came out. “… what happened…?” I looked at my older brother, who was sitting in his usual spot with a grin printed on his face, demanding an explanation. But all he told me was: “Oh, I didn't expect you to be back so soon. And here I thought I wound have had enough time to dispose of his body." That guy then approached the old man's body and pulled the knife out of his chest, never stopping smiling for a second. “Just like this knife that claimed his life, only I was worthy of being at the center of his heart.” After hearing those words, I didn't care about the other people around me anymore. Now I just wanted to rip apart that smiley figure in front of me. III. Family Quarrel My hands kept launching attacks, but the guy I was facing, clearly weaker than me in combat, didn't even try to fight back, and his expression suggested that he wanted to be beaten up. Both his face and his body were bleeding because of the blows I had inflicted on him, yet he still refused to fight, or to give me an explanation. And that smile on his face filled me with even more anger. I really thought that. I really thought he was the same as me. That old man who couldn't do anything else but cook, even though he hadn't given us much affection, he had given us a place to live. He even went so far as to buy us our favorite instruments, and let us listen to and create rock music, even when it was too loud for him. We Food Souls don't have parents of our own, so he became our father. Then… why? How can he deal with all of this with such ease? He was half kneeling in front of me, continuing to spit blood out of his mouth, yet still wearing that irritating smile, but had no intention of giving me any explanation. Suddenly, his eyes full of complacency sent a shiver down my spine. Before I could even react, my entire body gradually became more stiff, my eyelids heavier and heavier. I collapsed on the ground and the last thing I remember seeing before I hung up on my senses was a pair of boots we had bought together to then exchange one of them with each other. One was black, the other was white. When I came to my senses, I found myself in a hospital hundreds of miles away from where I was without even knowing why. In an announcement board I saw a bounty for a miserable but fierce murderer who was subjugating the whole kingdom. People said the serial killer knocked everyone out and then fled. There's no trace left of him anymore. No one can catch him. Nobody has to catch him, unless that someone is me. He's my toy. A dangerous toy which could also hurt its owner. I don't care how many people he's wronged. Only I can punish my toys, and no one else. After days and days of searching, I accidentally ran into a man who once came to our restaurant and was invited to that room, but then ran away because of a diarrhea attack, which ironically saved his life. The way he trembled in front of me was ridiculous, but his words filled me with doubts. “Sw-sweet Tofu!? I beg you, let me go! I promise that I will never go against your master ever again!” “Sweet Tofu…?” “You... You're not Sweet Tofu?” “Just tell me, what's going on!?” Even if it's based on just the words of that survivor, now I know a very different story from the one told by the rumors and the newspapers. It wasn't my brother who killed those people, but the old man... But then... why did he take the blame for his crimes…? Why did he kill him…? IV. Memorial It's been exactly a year since that day. I've known for a long time that he didn't kill those humans, but I still haven't been able to find out why he killed the old man. However, while I hate to admit it, as his twin, I knew what was going on in his mind. He didn't want me to know anything about it. He didn't even want me to find out he wasn't the real killer. Ah, so that’s how it was then. Neither the old man nor he cared about me. But it doesn't matter anymore. Sooner or later, he'll understand. No one knows him better than I do. No one knows me better than he does. Even though I knew that he hadn't killed any human being, I couldn't help but fight him every time our paths crossed. Because I still didn’t know his reasons, and he seemed to be very pleased by that. Most of brothers are very attached to each other, and perhaps this image would actually suit us better. One day, I'm gonna find out why he killed the old man. We are no ordinary brothers, but it is precisely for this reason that our blood gives us a much deeper connection to one another compared to others. We both know that. One day, I’ll kill him. Chatting like we used to, living together like we used to. Since he refuses to tell me the truth, then I refuse to tell him that all his efforts are in vain, since he is destined, one day, to become my toy. After all, I only have eyes for my toys. V. Salty Tofu Although Salty Tofu would never admit it, anyone could notice that the feelings that the two have for each other, although very negative on the surface, are very deep and complex compared to those of the other twins. No one can make them reconcile, and no one can replace what one was for the other. Compared to Sweet Tofu, Salty Tofu is much better at getting along with others. He knew Boston Lobster, and knew that he was in good terms with Sweet Tofu, yet he pretended to be oblivious when he entered his territory. The two got along from the start, soon becoming good friends who would have a drink together after each fighting session. Both of them full of wounds, they were sitting by a river enjoying some wine. Boston Lobster was never a talkative man, but he wanted to make an exception for this guest of his. In those days, Salty Tofu was happy to fight with him, and to have been accepted into the territory of his new and good brother. Consequently, Boston Lobster, considering himself the older brother of these two little twin brothers, felt compelled to help them solve their misunderstanding. He frowned, thinking about how he should express his thoughts. But Salty Tofu kicked him while he was drinking. “If something’s on your mind, just say it. Stop acting as if you were my mother.” Boston Lobster was so angry that he was almost about to take the jar of wine and smash it onto the head of the person in front of him. But he stopped as soon as an idea came to his mind. A sinister grin appeared on his face. He then spun his head and began to call Spicy Gluten, who was sitting on the other side the river. “Hey, Spicy Gluten! Go warn Sweet Tofu that I've taken his brother hostage! Tell him to bring magic crystals as ransom!” But Spicy Gluten didn't even try to get up, and she couldn't help but shake her head and sigh as Salty Tofu ran away without saying a word. “Such childish men…” Category:Food Soul Story